What a fun day of competition with all of our twirlers!
This February contest also has the added bonus of the Sweetheart Pairs event each year. A twirler can perform a short routine with either her dad, uncle, brother, friend, etc. We had two of our twirlers, Olivia and Emma, perform with their sweetheart pairs. Such fun routines!
Our twirlers had a fantastic start to the competition season in November! It was a lot of fun having so many individual competitors participate and our two teams.
I'm so proud of how much these girls worked to prepare for the first competition of the year! You can see their top 3 results below.
We also learned so much at the clinic following the competition. The twirlers worked on dance twirl, rolls, dance series, gymnastics, and 2 baton!
Ms. Mindy as an Arizona State Feature Twirler in the Fall of 1997
There's some very exciting news for twirlers in Colorado: CU Boulder is bringing back feature twirlers to the marching band in Fall 2016!
It's been 15+ years since there have been any twirlers in the marching band. This year will start with 2-3 feature twirler positions and there's the possibility of a twirling line in the future, too.
This will be a great option for Colorado twirlers who wish to stay in-state and it will bring college twirlers back to our state.
If you are a twirler who is interested in auditioning, you can find all of the details here. Auditions will be on Saturday, April 23, 2016.
Exciting possibilities are ahead for Colorado twirlers!
Ms. Mindy ready to twirl at the Sun Bowl game in El Paso, TX with the ASU Marching Band - Jan 1998
Students of High Peaks Twirlers have a Practice Check List that they can use each week to show what they've been practicing. Those who complete the check list can earn a sticker towards a prize.
I encourage twirlers of all ages and levels to start practicing right from the beginning. Just 5-10 minutes a day makes a big difference in how quickly your student masters her twirling skills. It teaches your child how to develop the discipline that is required to improve a skill.
Twirlers will see improvement with as little as 5-10 minutes a day. More advanced twirlers, or those who are in the competition class, may need additional time. It is helpful for them to focus on reaching certain goals with a trick or routine rather than just setting a certain amount of time aside. For example, trying to catch 5 one spins in a row without a drop. Or completing their rolls section 3 times without any breaks or drops.
Tricks or dance movements from the practice sheets in the Twirler Notebook are a great place to start. The ones that are marked off are ones that she has been taught in class. Class routines for parades or performances should be added as those are learned in class.
Students who are competing individually should also add their competition routines. Either a specific section they need to work on or the entire routine.
Twirlers should write down the trick, dance step, or routine that they are practicing in the left hand column of the practice sheet. More advanced twirlers can also include how many times they plan to catch or try a trick. (A beginning student example is at the top of this post. A competition student example is at the end of this post.)
As the twirler completes each day/practice session, she should mark off everything that she completes. If she's trying to catch a trick a certain number of times, but can't get there, then she should write in the number of times it was caught.
In order to earn a sticker, twirlers in our weekly class should practice at least 7 tricks or routines (twirlers age 5 only need to do 5). Competition class students should do 10 tricks or routines.
We have a new class offering for younger students who want to twirl! Children ages 4-5 can join our Intro Twirling class specifically for their age group.
This class will last for 30 minutes instead of an hour and will meet for 8 weeks. We'll learn some beginning twirls and dance steps and incorporate these into some fun movement games. Twirlers in this class will have the option of marching in the Louisville Parade of Lights with the rest of our twirlers on Friday, December 4th.
Class starts Tuesday, October 6, 2015 and meets at the YMCA on Arapahoe from 3:25-3:55 pm.
I'm excited to announce that we'll be offering a new class for the 2015-2016 season: Show Twirl Team. Most likely you've never heard of this before and are wondering what your twirler will do in this class. Listed below is information about the class, along with some example videos. We hope to have your twirler join our new team!
Show twirl team is a competitive event that allows twirlers to perform a group routine using batons and any other props. Some examples include, ribbons, flags, props based on the theme, etc. In our show twirl team this year, we'll be using batons, hula hoops, scarves, and possibly a few others.
Here's an example of a show corp routine (this one is longer and a bigger group than we'll be doing). This will give you an idea of what it can look like with experienced twirlers. A little further down is an example of a local, beginner routine.
https://youtu.be/JA6_4hjkaW4
Click here to see an example of a beginner routine from a local Colorado team based on Annie.
We'll be using the song "Dear Future Husband" by Meghan Trainor and styling it as a modern take on a 50's theme. We'll be using hula hoops, scarves, batons, and, possibly, some additional props.
This routine will have some elements that will be choreographed by the students on the team with teacher guidance. It will be a great opportunity for them to start learning how to choreograph.
There are a few additional requirements for this class. Please be sure you can do the following:
"It is so great to learn to work together as a team. I think learning to support and encourage peers is so important and that is what these group classes have taught the girls."
Amanda, Anna Claire's mom
Show twirl team meets on Tuesdays, 4:00-4:25 pm at the YMCA on Arapahoe just before our Weekly Twirling Class. It starts on Tuesday, September 8th.
Registration is now open for our weekly twirling classes. Classes start September 8th and continue through the end of May. Check out all of our twirling classes offered here.
Not sure where to start? New and returning twirlers should all register for our Weekly Twirling Class. This meets on Tuesdays, 4:25-5:25 pm at the YMCA on Arapahoe in Lafayette. In this class your twirler will develop her twirling skills and learn routines for our recreational performances. It's going to be a great year of twirling!
We had a great time performing at the Boulder Creek Festival for the second year in a row. Fortunately, the pouring rain took a break while performed!
Our intro, beginning, advanced, and competition twirlers performed a variety of group and individual routines. Ms. Amanda and Ms. Mindy joined in the fun with their own routine as well. It was the first time they had performed in 15 plus years! The crowd was very appreciative of all the great twirling that took place!
You can watch the videos of our performance by clicking below. This is a playlist of all of the routines performed. What a fun day!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXH9KdOeK_J40N0_7ziADfhscJ-F2foRt
Our twirlers had a great time at the USTA Colorado State Competition on Sunday, May 3, 2015. I'm so proud of all of these girls!
It was a lot of fun having our beginning class students join our competitive twirlers. They performed their class routine and they all entered in a few individual events, too.
A big congratulations to Olivia who won the Colorado State Beginning Solo (ages 9-12)! This was a very large division and she did a fantastic job. Also, big congrats go to Anna Claire who won her Colorado State Beginning Solo (ages 0-8)! Although a smaller division, she performed a fantastic solo routine. Way to go, girls!
It's always so fun to see how far each of twirlers have come after a season of competition. I'm very proud of the hard work these girls put in during the past year!
Anna Claire: Beg Basic (7-9): 2nd Nov Parade (8-9): 2nd Beg Military (8-11): 3rd Beg Presentation (8-11): 3rd CO State Beg Solo (0-8): 1st
Ava: Nov Basic (9-10): 2nd
Caileigh: Level BI Compulsories: Passed Level BI Movement Technique: Passed Beginner Military (8-11): 1st Nov Parade (10-13): 1st Nov Presentation (10-13): 3rd Open Beg Solo (9-10): 3rd
Emma: Beg Basic (13-15): 3rd Beg Military (12-15): 2nd Nov Parade (10-13): 2nd CO State Beg Strut (13-16): 1st
Katie: Level C Compulsories: Passed Nov Basic (5-8): 1st
Mia F.: CO State Nov Solo (0-8): 3rd
Mia M.: Nov Basic (9-10): 3rd
Olivia: Beg Parade (10-13): 3rd Beg Presentation (8-11): 1st CO State Beg Solo (9-12): 1st Open Nov 2-Baton (9-11): 1st
Randi: Level C Compulsories: Passed
Anna Claire & Olivia: Open Beg Pairs Juv: 1st CO State Beg Juv Pairs: 1st
Teams: Heart Skips a Beat (Beg Class)- CO Small Primary Dance Twirl: 2nd Hairspray- CO Small Juvenile Dance Twirl: 1st
We had a great time at the USTA competition on March 8, 2015! It was so much fun having Marley and Mia compete in their first competition.
Our other competitors, Anna Claire, Caileigh, Emma, and Olivia all participated in a fairly new event called Parade March for the first time. They had so much fun and did a terrific job! It takes the basic strut (marching in a square) and adds twirling to it.
Caileigh had her first solo win!! She's now moving out of the novice category and up to beginner. Way to go!
Olivia passed her Level A movement technique and performed the first part of her freestyle routine for evaluation!! She just has to pass her Level A compulsories now in order to qualify for PreTrials in June. Wish her good luck at our clinic when she'll try to qualify!
I'm so proud of not only our twirlers' accomplishments at this last competition, but even more so in how hard they've been working, what great attitudes they had all day, and how encouraging they are to each other. We have the best team!
Anna Claire: Level B Compulsories: Passed Beg Basic Strut (8-10): 1st Beg Military (7-9): 1st Nov Parade March (8-11): 3rd Nov Presentation (8-10): 1st Beg Solo (7-8): 1st
Caileigh: Beg Basic Strut (8-10): 2nd Beg Military (10-12): 1st Nov Presentation (8-10): 2nd Nov Solo (8-10): 1st
Emma: Beg Basic Strut (13-15): 2nd Beg Military (13-15): 2nd Nov Parade March (12-14): 2nd Beg Presentation (11-13): 3rd Nov Strut (12-14): 1st
Marley: Level C Movement Technique: Passed
Mia: Level C Movement Technique; Passed Nov Basic Strut (8-10): 3rd
Olivia: Level A Movement Technique: passed Beg Basic Strut (11-12): 1st Nov Parade March (8-11): 1st Beg Solo (9-11): 1st
Anna Claire & Olivia: Beg Juvenile Pairs: 1st
High Peaks Twirlers Hairspray Dance Twirl Team: Beg Small Juv. Dance Twirl Team: 3rd
Our twirlers did another great job at the USTA Sweetheart Competition on February 8, 2015. The weeks leading up to this competition were filled with some injuries and illnesses, but these girls pulled through!
We had such a great time seeing Anna Claire and Olivia each perform a routine with their dad for the Sweetheart Pairs event. And Olivia and her dad won with their "Annie" performance!
And a big congratulations to both Emma and Olivia who won their respective beginning solo divisions! These were both large groups and I'm so proud of how well they performed their routines. Way to go, girls!
Here are our twirlers' top 3 results:
Anna Claire: Level B Movement Technique: Passed Beg Basic Strut (7-9): 1st Beg Military (7-9): 1st
Caileigh: Level B Movement Technique: Passed Nov Military (9-11): 1st
Emma: Level BI Compulsories: Passed Beg Military (12-14): 3rd Nov Presentation (12-13): 3rd Nov Strut (13-15): 1st Beg Solo (13-16): 1st
Olivia: Sweetheart Pairs (with her Dad!): 1st Beg Solo (11-12): 1st
High Peaks Twirlers is proud to announce that we're hosting our first baton twirling clinic! It will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015, from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. There are full day and half day options, plus compulsory, movement technique, solo, and freestyle evaluations and critiques will be available.
Come learn a lot of great material, work on your current routines, and have fun with our terrific instructors and twirlers.
Find all of the info you need here or click on the brochure below. Early bird registration is available until March 10th. All registration closes after March 20th!
I'm excited to announce that we have 3 different intro classes starting the first week of March. These are all 10-week sessions geared to students who are new to baton twirling.
Students in these classes will learn the basics of baton twirling along with some beginning dance steps and marching. These skills will all be put together in a fun routine. It's a great way to give baton twirling a try before committing to our monthly classes.
Twirlers in our intro classes will also have the option of performing with us at the Boulder Creek Festival. This is a fun performance with a great audience. It's held over Memorial Day Weekend in downtown Boulder. We should know our performance day and time by the end of February. You will need to purchase a High Peaks Twirlers t-shirt for your twirler in order for her to perform.
A brief description of our intro class options is listed below. You can find further details on our classes page. Be sure to register today!
Horizons Intro Class Ages 5-12 Mondays, 4:30-5:30 pm
Lafayette YMCA Intro Class Ages 5-12 Wednesdays, 3:00-4:00 pm
Horizons Middle School Intro Class Grades 6-8 Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 pm
All classes start the first week of March. The 10-week sessions cost $120. Batons are $28 (tax included).
Our twirlers had a great start to this year's competition season! They had all worked really hard leading up to this first competition and it definitely paid off.
Anna Claire, Caileigh, Emma, and Olivia all competed in dance twirl team plus their individual events. Their hard work showed when they ALL placed in the top 3 in ALL of their events! That does not happen often - way to go, girls!
We performed the first half of our new dance twirl team routine, a medley of songs from Hairspray, for evaluation. Our team put on a great performance and we look forward to entering the completed routine for competition in February. Be sure to watch it and then check out our twirlers' results below.
http://youtu.be/y2WnbzVkvI4
Here are our twirlers' top 3 results:
Anna Claire: Beg Basic (age 7-9) - 2nd Nov Military (age 7-8) - 1st Nov Presentation (age 7-9) - 1st Beg Solo (age 7-9) - 2nd
Caileigh: Level B Compulsories - Passed Nov Basic (age 9-10) - 1st Nov Solo (age 9-12) - 2nd
Emma: Beg Basic (age 12-14) - 2nd Nov Military (age 10-12) - 1st Nov Presentation (age 12-14) - 2nd Nov Strut (age 12-14) - 1st
Olivia: BII Compulsories - Passed Beg Basic (age 10-11) - 3rd Beg Presentation (age 9-11) - 1st Beg Solo (age 10-11) - 2nd
Anna Claire & Olivia: Nov Pairs (Juvenile) - 1st
It's hard to believe it's that time of year already! This year give a unique gift to the child in your life.
We're offering a special package: buy a baton and an intro class and you'll receive a 20% discount off the usual cost. That's a savings of $20!
To purchase this gift, just go to our registration page and select which intro class you'd like to enroll your child in. When paying for the class, use the promo code "HOLIDAY14" to receive your 20% discount.
You will then be contacted to set up a time to pick up your baton to give in time for the holidays.
If you are not the parent of the student, but would still like to purchase this gift, please use the Contact Form and we'll get it all set up for you.
I'm excited to welcome Amanda Jones as an additional instructor with High Peaks Twirlers! She'll be teaching some of our intro classes and also leading our open practice sessions.
Ms. Amanda grew up in Winchester, Tennessee. She twirled baton from the age of 5 years to 14 years. During that time Ms. Amanda attended local, state, and national competitions where she competed in both individual, pairs, and team events. She is a Level 1 Certified Coach with the United States Twirling Association.
Ms. Amanda is also a 1st grade teacher at Monarch K-8. In her free time she likes spending time with her family, running, sewing, and reading. Ms. Amanda’s daughter Anna Claire is also a twirler.
Be sure to tell her you're so glad she'll be teaching baton!
We had a such a great summer performing at both the Boulder County Fair Parade in August and the Louisville Labor Day Parade in September.
All of our twirlers did a great job learning and performing our 80s style routine to Celebration this year. And we won 1st place in the Drill Team division at the Louisville Labor Day Parade with our no-drop routine!
http://youtu.be/l0N2heGmxyk
We will be offering our first Family Fun Night event. This is open to the entire family and no twirling experience is needed.
Just drop by any time between 5:30-7:00 pm. There will be batons available for you to use. We'll learn some twirls and play some fun games with the batons.
Family Fun Night Friday, September 5, 2014 5:30-7:00 pm Festival Plaza (S. Public Rd & Chester St.), Lafayette
I'm looking forward to another great year of twirling getting started in just a few weeks! I'll be offering a beginning class for ages 5 and older. This class will run for one hour per week from September 2014-May 2015.
Twirlers in this class will perform at the Louisville Parade of Lights, the Boulder Creek Festival, and other local performances. They also have the chance to enter a few events at local twirling competitions, if they would like. (This is completely optional!)
When: Wednesdays, September 2014-May 2015 Where: Arapahoe YMCA (2800 Dagny Way, Lafayette) Time: 4:30-5:30 pm Cost: $40 per month (we meet 3-5 times per month) Baton: $28 (tax included)
We had our first twirler, Olivia, travel to the USTA Central Regional championships this summer.
On June 7, 2014, Olivia competed in Tyler, Texas at her first regional competition! I'm so proud of what a great job she did at her first regionals. It's a bit nerve-wracking attending your first multi-state competition!
I was especially proud that she placed 5th in Beginner Solo (ages 9-11)! This was a large division and she did a great solo.
Here are Olivia's results:
Show Twirl: This was for evaluation only, but it was her best performance yet! Beg Open Basic (0-8): 2nd place Beg Open Solo (9-11): 5th place
